English Premier League club, Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Nicolas Pepe for a club-record transfer fee of £72million and to earn £100,000 per-week-wage.
The 24-year-old Nicolas Pepe who is an Ivory Coast international was signed from Lille on a five-year contract as Arsenal beat off competition from the likes of Napoli, to land the talented winger.
The £72million transfer fee makes Nicolas Pepe the most expensive African footballer and his confirmation comes days after he underwent a successful medical.
The deal which comes as a surprise to many, favours Arsenal who are were initially rumoured to only have £45million as transfer budget for this window. But given the agreement with Lille, the London club will pay just £20million upfront this summer, with the rest paid in instalments over the next five years. He will wear the No.19 shirt.
Head coach Unai Emery who spoke with Arsenal website, said: “Nicolas is a highly-rated and talented winger who was wanted by many of the top teams in Europe.
“Signing a top-class winger has been one of our key objectives in this transfer window and I’m delighted he’s joining.
“He will add pace, power and creativity, with the aim of bringing more goals to our team,” he said.